Cup dispensers



Jan. 29, 1963 ll. IF. LOTSPEICH CUP DISPENSERS l8 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledOct. 6, 1958 INVENTOR. JOSL'PH E A OTSPEICH Jan. 29, 1963 J. F.LOTSPEICH CUP DISPENSERS l8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 6, 1958 m8 2: inm9, u 9!, 03 Q\\ IN l EN T0 12 Jars/w ELOTJPE/OH Jan. 29, 1963 CUPDISPENSERS l8 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed 001:. 6, 1958 /A//ENTO JOSEPH f2Lamps/c1! Arr'rf Jan. 29, 1963 J. F. LOTSPEICH CUP DISPENSERS Filed Oct.6, 1958 18 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. JOSEPH f. L cra s/c BY 1963 J. F.LOTSPEICH 3,

cu DISPENSERS Filed Oct. 6, 1958 18 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR. JOGEPH flOTSPE/CH Jan. 29, 1963 J. F. LOTSPEIICH 3,075,669

CUP DISPENSERS Filed Oct. 6, 1958 18 Sheets-Sheet 7 'l I J Flc /4.

INVENTOR. JOSEPH [Z orsPncH Jan. 29, 1963 J. F. LOTSPEICH 3,075,669

CUP DISPENSERS Filed Oct. 6, 1958 18 Sheets-Sheet 9 Jan. "29,1963 J. F.LOTSPEICH CUP DISPENSERS l8 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed 001:. 6,1958

FIG. 26.

Jan. 29, 1963 J. F. LOTSPEICH 3,075,669

CUP DISPENSERS Filed Oct. 6, 1958 18 Sheets-Sheet 11 INVENTOR. JOSKPHLorJPncH Jan. 29, 1963 .1. F. LOTSPEICH CUP DISPENSERS 18 Sheets-Sheet12 Filed Oct. 6, 1958 INVENTOR.

'JOSfP/l F A orsPE/cH Jan. 29, 1963 J. F. LOTSPEICH CUP DISPENSERS 18Sheets-Sheet 13 Filed 001;, 6, 1,958

Jan. 29, 1963 J. F. LOTSPEICH 3,075,669

CUP DISPENSERS Filed Oct. 6, 1958 18 Sheets-Sheet 14 INVENTOR. Josanv1'? L ours/c F/q.44 1 75.43. F/q.45. fl'rry Jan. 29, 1963 J. F.LOTSPEICH 3,075,669

CUP DISPENSERS 'Filed Oct. 6, 1958 18 Sheets-Sheet 15 INVENTOR. JOSEPHf. (073F470! BY I United States This invention relates to improvementsin cup dispensers. More particularly, this invention relates toimorovements in cup dispensers for coin-operated, drinkvending machines.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide animproved cup dispenser for coin-operated, drinkvending machines.

Cup dispensers for coin-operated, drink-vending machines are importantand useful devices, and they are meeting ever-increasing acceptance. Onedefect in present cup dispensers for coin-operated, drink-vendingmachines is the inability of those cup dispensers to accommodate cups ofdifferent diameters unless and until some of the cup-separating parts ofthose cup dispensers are removed and are supplanted by replacementcup-separating parts. While the removal and replacement of thecup-separating parts of cup dispensers is easily accomplished in afactory, that removal and replacement is not so easily accomplished bythe operators of coin-operated, drink-vending machines. Moreover, theneed of keeping on hand a supply of re placement cup-separating partsadds inventory problems to the already numerous problems of operators ofcoinoperated, drink-dispensing machines. The present invention obviatesthose problems by providing a cup dispenser which has stack-supportingfingers that can respond to the movement of an adjusting lever toaccommodate and support cups having different diameters. As a result,there is no need of removing and replacing any of the cup-separatingparts of the cup dispenser of the present invention when cups havinglarger or smaller diameters are to be dispensed; it only being necessaryto shift the position of the adjusting lever. It is therefore an objectof the present invention to provide a cup dispenser for coin-operated,drink-vending machines which has stack-supporting fingers that canrespond to the setting of an adjusting lever to accommodate and supportcups having different diameters.

The adjusting lever for the cup dispenser provided by the presentinvention is pivoted to rotate adjacent a dial. That lever is maderelatively long, and that dial is made to subtend a large angle; andconsequently that lever and dial make it possible to set the positionsof the stack-supporting fingers with precision and accuracy. It istherefore an object of the present invention to provide a relativelylong adjusting lever that is pivoted to rotate adjacent a dial thatsubtends a large angle.

Another defect of present cup dispensers is the inability of those cupdispensers to accommodate and separate cups having different rimthicknesses, unless and until some of the cup-separating parts of thosecup dispensers are removed and are supplanted by replacementcup-separating parts. The present invention obviates all need ofremoving and replacing any of the cup-separating parts of the cupdispenser, and thereby obviates the problems connected with that removaland replacement by providing stack-supporting fingers that can be movedvertically relative to the cup-separating fingers of the cup dispenserby the shifting of a cam. That vertical movement of the stack-supportingfingers enables the cup dispenser to accommodate and separate cupshaving thick rims, thin rims or rims of intermediate thickness. It istherefore an object of the present invention to provide a cup dispenserfor coin-operated, drink-vending machines that has stacksupportingfingers which can respond to the shifn'ng of a cam to move verticallyrelative to the cup-separating fingers of that cup dispenser.

The cam that adjusts the vertical positions of the stacks'upportingfingers of the cup dispenser has shallow, inclined rises thereon; andthose shallow rises require the cam to be shifted appreciable distancesto change the ver-' tical positions of the stack-supporting fingers.This need of shifting the cam appreciable distances is desirable becauseit keeps that shifting from being a critical adjustment; and, in fact,it makes that shifting an adjustment that is Within the capabilities ofmost persons. It is there fore an object of the present invention toprovide the cam, that adjusts the vertical positions of thestack-supporting fingers, with shallow, inclined rises.

The cam that adjusts the vertical positions of the stacksupportingfingers, of the cup dispenser provided by the present invention, carriesa set screw; and that set screw not only' locks the cam in position, butalso serves as a visual indication of the vertical positions of thestack-supporting fingers. Itis therefore an object of the presentinvention to provide the" cam, that adjusts the vertical posi-- tions ofthe stack-supporting fingers of a cupdi-spenser, with a set screw thatcan lock the cam in position and that can also serve as a visualindication of the vertical positions of those stack-supporting fingers.

The cup dispenser provided by the present invention has a turret inwhich a number of stacks of cups can be supported, and that turretnormally holds one of those stacks of cups in register with thestack-supporting fingers of that cup dispenser. Shortly before the lastof the cups of that stack of cups has been dispensed, a turret-advancing mechanism automatically rotates the turret to dispose a fresh stackof cups in register with those stack-supporting fingers. Shortly beforethe last of the cups in that stack of cups has been dispensed, theturret-advancing mechanism will again automatically rotate the turret tomove a fresh stack of cups into register with the stack-supportingfingers. That turretadvancing mechanism includes a Geneva gear, and thatgear assures precise and accurate advancements of the turret. As aresult, the various stacks of cups carried by the turret are alwaysprecisely indexed into register with the stack-supporting fingers. It istheir fore an object of the present invention to provide a cup dispenserwith a turret-advancing mechanism that includes a Geneva gear.

The cup dispenser provided by the present invention has a feeler whichnormally engages the stack of cups in register with the stack-supportingfingers, and that feeler causes the turret-advancing mechanism to indexthe turret when it no longer feels that stack of cups. That cupdispenser has a second feel'er which normally engages that stack of cupsat a point below the point where the first feeler engages that stack ofcups, and that second feeler actuates an empty switch when it no longerfeels that stack. This means that the first feeler will cause successiveindexing of the turret without any actuation of the empty switch, andthat the second feeler will actuate the empty switch only when the cupdispenser is out of cups.

The feelers for the cup dispenser provided by the present invention aremoved out of engagement with the stack of cups during every cycle of thecup dispenser. This is desirable because it keeps those feelers frombeing impediments to the downward movement of the cups in the stacks ofcups toward the stack-supporting fingers of the cup dispenser. However,before the end of the cycle of the cup dispenser, both of those feelersare permitted to move toward, and feel for the presence of, cups in thestack of cups.

The cup dispenser provided by the present invention has a gear housing,a cam housing, and a motor housing. That g'ear housing is formed so thecam housing can be set at any one of three faces thereof and so thatmotor housing can be set at any one of said faces thereof. This meansthat there are three possible positions wherein the cam housing canengage the gear honsing and there are three possible positions whereinthe motor housing can engage the gear housing. In addition, wheredesired, the cam housing and the motor housing can be mounted in tandem;with that cam housing engaging the gear housing. This makes it possibleto arrange the cam housing, the gear housing and the motor housing inmany different ways; and, therefore, it makes it possible to mount thecup dispenser of the present invention in many places in coinoperated,drink-vending machines where other cup dispensers cannot be mounted. Itis therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cupdispenser with a gear housing that has several faces to which a camhousing or a motor housing can be secured, individually or when mountedin tandem.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention shouldbecome apparent from an examination of the drawing and accompanyingdescription.

In the drawing and accompanying description, several preferredembodiments of the present invention are shown and described but itis'to be understood that the drawing and accompanying description arefor the purpose of illustration only and do not limit the invention andthat the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away, perspective View of onepreferred embodiment of cup dispenser that is made in accordance withthe principles and teachings of the present invention and it shows thenormal positions which the movable components occupy when only a fewcups are held in the cup-separating head.

FIG. 2 is a partially broken, side elevational view of the cup dispenserof FIG. 1, and it shows that cup dispenser after the movable componentsthereof have passed through approximately one quarter of a cycle.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section through the cup dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2,and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 3-3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the cup-separating head, the gear housing, thecam housing and the motor housing of the cup dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2,and it shows the movable components of that cup dispenser in thepositions they occupy in FIG. 2,

' FIG. 5 is a vertical section through a portion of the center of thecup-carrying turret, pivot and driven member of the cup dispenser ofFIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view in plan of the turret of the cup dispenser ofFIGS. 1 and 2, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 66in FIG. 2,

FIG. 7 is a sectional view in plan through the cupseparating head of thecup dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2, it is taken along the plane indicated bythe line 7-7 in FIG. 2, it shows the normal positions of thecup-separating fingers and of the stack-supporting fingers and of thefinger-moving abutments by solid lines, and it shows a first movedposition of those abutments by dotted lines.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view in plan that is taken along the planeindicated by the line 77 in FIG. 2, and it shows the positions which thecup-separating and stack-supporting fingers and the finger-movingabutments occupy when the movable components of the cup dispenser are inthe positions shown by FIG.2,

FIG. 9 is a sectional view in plan that is taken along the planeindicated by the line 7-7 in FIG. 2, and it shows the positions of thecup-separating and stack-supporting fingers and of the finger-movingabutments after the movable components of the cup dispenser have passedthrough one half of their cycle,

FIG. 10 is a sectional view in plan that is taken along the planeindicated by the line 7-7 in FIG. 2, and it shows the cup-separating andstack-supporting fingers and the finger-moving abutments in thepositions which they occupy in FIG. 8, but it shows the stack-supportingfingers after they have been set to accommodate larger i diameter cups,

FIG. 11 is a vertical section through part of the cupseparating head ofthe cup dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2, and it shows one of the uppercup-separating fingers that is rotatable but that is held againstvertical movement,

FIG. 12 is a vertical section through another part of the cup-supportinghead of the cup dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2, and it shows one of thestack-supporting fingers,

FIG. 13 is a partially broken, perspective view of the gear housing forthe cup dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2, and of some of the componentsassociated with that gear housing,

FIG. 14 is a partially broken, plan view of the driving and drivenelements of the Geneva gear used in the cup dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2and of a latch used with that driven element,

FIG. 15 is a vertical section through part of the cup dispenser of FIGS.1 and 2, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 15-15 inFIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a vertical section through another part of the cup dispenserof FIGS. 1 and 2, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line1616 in FIG. 14,

FIG. 17 is a plan View of the driving and driven elements used with thecup dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2 when that cup dispenser uses a largercup-carrying turret.

FIG. 18 is a side elevational view of one stack-supporting finger and ofone upper and one lower cup-separating finger, and it is taken along theplane indicated by the line 1818 in FIG. 8,

FIG. 19 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 18, but it shows thestack-supporting finger after it has been moved downwardly toaccommodate cups having deeper rims,

FIG. 20 is a sectional view in plan, and it is taken along the planeindicated by the line 202il in FIG. 2,

FIG. 21 is a partially sectioned, partially broken-away, frontelevational view, on a large scale, of a detail of the cup-separatinghead of the cup dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 22 is a vertical section through the portion of the cup-separatinghead shown in FIG. 21,

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a positioning ring used in thecup-separating head of the cup dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 24 is a front elevational view of an indicating panel used with thecup-separating head of the cup dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 25 is a front elevational view of a cam ring used in thisigap-separating head of the cup dispenser of FIGS.

FIG. 26 is a partially sectioned, side elevational view of a portion ofthe cup-separating head of the cup dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2, and itshows the movable components thereon in the positions they occupy inFIG. 2,

FIG. 27 is a partially sectioned, side elevational view similar to FIG.26, but it shows the movable components in their normal positions,

FIG. 28 is a partially sectioned plan housing, part of a cam housing,and part of the cup-separating head of the cup dispenser of FIGS. 1 and2, and it shows by solid lines the positions which the movablecomponents occupy in FIG. 2 and it shows by dotted lines the positionswhich the cup-engaging feelers occupy when cups do not block theirinward movement,

FIG. 29 is a sectional view in plan through the gear housing of the cupdispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2 and through one of the two cam housingsassociated with that gear housing,

FIG. 30 is a sectional end View through the said one cam housing of FIG.29, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 30-30 in FIG.29,

FIG. 31 is a sectional end view through the shaft and one of the cams inthe said one cam housing of FIG. 29,. and it is taken along the planeindicated by the line 3131 in FIG. 29,

FIG. 32 is a partially sectioned, partially broken-away view of the gear

1. A CUP DISPENSER WHICH COMPRISES A SUPPORT WITH A CIRCULAR OPENING THERETHROUGH THAT IS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE LOWERMOST CUPS OF A VERTICALLY DIRECTED STACK OF CUPS, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY-DIRECTED PIVOTS THAT ARE MOUNTED ON AND DEPEND DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID SUPPORT AND THAT ARE POSITIONED AROUND SAID OPENING, A PLURALITY OF CUP-SEPARATING FINGERS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID PIVOTS FOR ROTATION INTO AND OUT OF CUP-ENGAGING POSITION, A PLURALITY OF SPRINGS BIASING SAID CUP-SEPARATING FINGERS TOWARD CUPENGAGING POSITION, A SECOND PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY-DIRECTED PIVOTS THAT ARE MOUNTED ON AND DEPEND DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID SUPPORT AND THAT ARE POSITIONED AROUND SAID OPENING, SAID SECOND PLURALITY OF PIVOTS BEING INTERLEAVED WITH THE FIRST SAID PLURALITY OF PIVOTS, A PLURALITY OF STACK-SUPPORTING FINGERS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND PLURALITY OF PIVOTS FOR ROTATION INTO AND OUT OF STACK-SUPPORTING POSITION, A SECOND PLURALITY OF SPRINGS BIASING SAID STACK-SUPPORTING FINGERS TOWARD STACK-SUPPORTING POSITION, SAID CUPSEPARATING FINGERS AND SAID STACK-SUPPORTING FINGERS BEING SPACED APART AXIALLY OF SAID SUPPORT OPENING, A CYLINDRICAL MEMBER THAT IS ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID CIRCULAR OPENING IN SAID SUPPORT AND THAT HAS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED, FINGER-ENGAGING ABUTMENTS THEREON, SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER BEING ROTATABLE IN ONE DIRECTION TO MOVE SOME EDGES OF SAID ABUTMENTS AGAINST SAID CUP-SEPARATING FINGERS AND THEREBY MOVE SAID CUP-SEPARATING FINGERS AGAINST THE BIAS OF SAID PLURALITY OF SPRINGS AND OUT OF CUP-ENGAGING POSITION, SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER BEING ROTATABLE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO MOVE OTHER EDGES OF SAID ABUTMENTS AGAINST SAID STACK-SUPPORTING FINGERS TO MOVE SAID STACKSUPPORTING FINGERS AGAINST THE BIAS OF SAID SECOND PLURALITY OF SPRINGS AND OUT OF STACK-SUPPORTING POSITION, A POSITIONING RING THAT ENCIRCLES BUT IS SPACED RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF SAID CIRCULAR OPENING, SAID POSITIONING RING HAVING SURFACES THEREON THAT CAN COACT WITH SURFACES ON SAID STACK-SUPPORTING FINGERS TO LIMIT ROTATION OF SAID STACK-SUPPORTING FINGERS TOWARD STACK-SUPPORTING POSITION, SAID POSITIONING RING BEING MOVABLE CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF SAID SUPPORT OPENING TO VARY THE EXTENT TO WHICH SAID STACK-SUPPORTING FINGERS CAN MOVE TO STACK-SUPPORTING POSITION, A PANEL ADJACENT SAID SUPPORT, A CAM THAT IS ROTATABLE RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT AND RELATIVE TO SAID PANEL, AND A LEVER THAT IS ROTATABLE WITH SAID CAM AND THAT IS ADJACENT SAID PANEL, SAID PANEL HAVING MARKINGS THEREON, SAID LEVER BEING ROTATABLE RELATIVE TO SAID PANEL TO ROTATE SAID CAM RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT AND THEREBY SHIFT SAID POSITIONING RING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF SAID SUPPORT TO VARY THE EXTENT TO WHICH SAID STACK-SUPPORTING FINGERS CAN MOVE TO STACK-SUPPORTING POSITION. 